The Most Important Post of the Semester

Classes on Thursday and then, the weekend! I think it’s time to officially document the “Bar scene” in Castiglion…or lack of. Beginning with the assumed favorite, Velvet Underground. Personally, I like the Velvet just fine (at least during 10-11 specials) but it’s not a favorite of K-State for the following reasons: kind of expensive, really loud, smoky, and all the other schools are there too making it hard to sit down. Plus there’s live music on Thursday and Sunday- I personally don’t like random live music at bars so that’s a negative for me.

Now to the favorite bar of K-State….or at least one Zach Ferrel. We call it RAB bar for the following reason… It has no name. There’s just a neon sign sticking out over the street that says BAR, but backwards. Also, bar is a relative term for the place. It’s more like a large walk-in closet where no more than 6 people can sit at once…not an exaggeration. 6 people. The owner/ bartender is a precious, old Italian man who wears a white lab coat while bartending. Personally, I think this might have to be my new uniform when I go back to bartending in the states. He has a short list of drinks that he makes and no descriptions in sight. Upon ordering one he proceeds to dirty pour obscene amounts of pure liquor into a glass and stirs everyone’s beverage with the same spoon. Don’t worry about the taste of what you’re ordering, they all taste like jet engine fuel and burn the same on the way down. Burning your esophagus here only costs 3 euro, but of course a much needed liver transplant after will be a bit pricier.

The bar we usually end up is just called Pirate bar. It’s more specifically catered to us American students, which I gathered by the fact that one whole room has an American flag and MTV always on…and a confederate flag. Not sure what that’s all about. Pirate bar is a lot quieter so you don’t have to yell at everyone, there are places to sit, and the best part- they serve pizza till really late! Nothing like an authentic Italian pizza pie to cure the late night munchies.

Another note: we have hand signals for all the bars here. An awkward rabbit mouth gesture for RAB, V for Velvet, and a flutter of the hand on the shoulder for pirate bar. It’s supposed to be a parrot. We used to put one had over the eye and make a hook finger, but come on people. That’s too obvious! No disco-teccas here, but we’re still on the look out for new favorites.